Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Tack Room
Because a tack room is often the hub of human activity in a barn, it should be roomy and
well designed. If you are building a new barn or remodeling an old one, first consider the
main purposes your tack room will serve.
Depending on the scope of your horse operation and the availability of other buildings
and rooms, a tack room can end up being like a feed room or lounge. Limiting the purposes
for which it is intended will help keep a tack room neat and functional. Do you need an area
to organize your everyday working gear? To arrange your grooming and medical supplies?
To safeguard your records? Do you need a place to store winter blankets? Show saddles
and bridles? Do you require an area for laundry, saddle cleaning, and repair? Does your
tack room need to double as an office or trophy showcase?
A tack room should be well organized, dust-free, insulated, well ventilated, dry but not
hot, rodent-free, and secure, and provide plenty of storage space. If you can determine ex-
actly how you will use the room, you can estimate the optimal size and begin your floor
plans. Within reason, make the room as large as possible. Rooms smaller than 8 by 10 feet
(the size of a small box stall) seem crowded as soon as a few saddle racks and tack trunks
are moved in. If you have from two to ten horses, try to allow between 100 and 200 square
feet for a tack room in your barn plans. Using a piece of graph paper, draw the proposed
floor plan to scale, noting the placement of large items such as saddle racks, tack trunks, a
worktable, and a sink. A 10-foot by 22-foot (approximate inside dimensions) room can be
substituted for two 12-foot by 12-foot box stalls in most barn plans and results in a very
useful space. For a larger barn, two or more smaller tack rooms in several locations may be
more convenient and efficient.
A tack room should be located very near the grooming and saddling area. Consideration
should be given to airflow between the two locations so that dirt, hair, and sweepings from
the grooming area are not automatically sucked into the tack room. The doorway between
the grooming area and tack room should be at least 4 feet wide to accommodate a person
carrying a Western saddle. All doors should be fitted with strong, durable locks to prevent
theft and to satisfy insurance requirements.
Tack room layouts
